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Erect terrestrial, or rarely epiphytic herbs, with leafy or sometimes pseudo-bulbous stems. Leaves few, broadly plicate, with prominent veins. In some of the Old World species the sheathing bases of the leaves envelop the angulate pseudobulbs, the leaf blades becoming deciduous at the end of the season's growth, while in other species the leaves persist for more than one year, with the pseudo-bulbs much reduced in size or entirely absent. In the single species known to occur in Panama, the two broadly plicate leaves are contracted below into a sheath-ing petiole arising directly from the rhizome and without any enclosed pseudobulb. Inflorescences erect, many-flowered racemes, equaling or exceeding the leaves in length, the basal portions enveloped by the sheathing leaf bases. Flowers small, on slender pedicels, subtended by linear bracts. Sepals free, subequal, spreading. Petals similar to the sepals or smaller. Lip 3-lobed, prolonged at the base into a spur, the claw of the lip connate to the column. Column short, erect, broadly winged at the apex, the base without a foot. Anther subterminal, operculate, in-cumbent, 2-celled; pollinia 8, waxy, elongate-pyriform, in groups of 4 in each cell of the anther.
Evergreen or deciduous clumping terrestrial orchids with thick roots. Pseudobulbs short, swollen or elongated. Leaves 1–several per pseudobulb, petiolate, usually broad and plicate, rarely narrow and grass-like. Inflorescence racemose, multiflowered, arising in leaf axils. Peduncle longer than rachis. Flowers crowded towards apex, colourful or white and pressing black. Sepals and petals of similar size. Labellum firmly attached by its basal margins to sides of column, protruding like landing platform. Labellum lamina entire or deeply lobed, with short to long basal spur. Calli almost vestigial, confined to labellum base. Column short, without basal foot. [See also Green (1994: 534)]
Large or medium-sized terrestrial or rarely epiphytic herbs. Pseudobulbs ovoid, conical or cylindrical, leafy and often obscure, 1–several-noded. Leaves plicate, petiolate, ± jointed, deciduous or persistent, often very large. Inflorescences basal, erect, racemose, laxly to densely few–many-flowered, ± pubescent. Flowers often showy and large. Sepals subsimilar. Petals mostly smaller. Lip mostly 3-lobed, rarely entire, fused at base to column, spurred at base; callus often verrucose or cristate at base of lip. Column short, fleshy; pollinia 8, clavate; viscidium elliptic or lanceolate; rostellum bifid.
Flowers usually large and showy; tepals spreading; lip fused to the column at base, usually 3-lobed, spurred, often with a warty callus at the base.
Large or medium-sized terrestrial herb; pseudobulbs leafy and often obscure, with 1 to several nodes.
Inflorescence erect, racemose, few to many-flowered.
Leaves deciduous or persistent, petiolate, plicate.
